L-60 1947

GROWING STRAWBERRIES

By

J. F. RosboroughExtension Horticulturist

Texas A. & M. College

Strawberries are adapted to a wide range of

They are the first fruit to ripen and less timeharvest· than any other fruit.

Preparing The Land

soil and climatic conditions.

is required from planting to

The land should be plowed in late summer and pulverized thoroughly. In areas

of heavy rainfall, plow the soil into beds eight to ten inches in height and two

to three feet in width. In areas of limited moisture, beds 12 to 16 inches wide

should be prepared so that irrigation can be done when needed. The home gardener

should apply 50 pounds or more of rotted manure per 100 feet of row before plant­

ing. Where commercial fertilizer can be used, about five pounds of a 4-12-4 or

4-10-7 mixture may be applied per 100 feet of row.

Varieties

Recommended varieties for East Texas are Klondyke and Blakemore. These vari­

eties are large, attractive, and ship well. They are hardy to winter cold and

summer heat. For South Texas and the Gulf Coastal Area, Missionary and Ranger are

recommended. These varieties are early, of good quality, and may be used for home

gardens or for commercial planting. For West Texas, the everbearing varieties,

Gem and Mastodon, are recommended.

Planting

From October 15 to November 15 is the best time to set the plants. Plants

should be spaced 10 to 12 inches apart in the row. Do not set too deep. If the

buds in the center of the plant are covered with soil, the plants will fail, or

delay blooming, or may even die. Try to set them at the same depth at which they

grew originally. The setting can be done more rapidly by one person dropping

plants ahead and a second person making the holes and setting the plants. Pack

the soil tightly around each plant to keen roots from drying out. Water the plants

at time of setting if needed.

Cultivation, Scraping And Strawing

A fall and winter growth of weeds among strawberry plants must be kept under

control. Shallow cultivation is essential. Between January 15 and February 1, or

prior to blooming, the soil around the plants should be hoed carefully to destroy

all weeds. A layer of pine straw or hay two inches thick should be applied over

the entire bed. Work the straw well around the plants. For an average family

sized strawberry patch, two or three bales of hay will cover the beds on about 500

feet of row. For an acre of strawberries about ten wagon loads of loose pine

straw or hay will be needed to cover the beds and middles.

In West Texas or in areas where the plants are irrigated, straw is not recom­

mended. If the plants are to produce large sized berries, the soil must be kept

moist from the time the'first bloom appears. This will vary from one to three

irrigations per week.

Harvesting

Be careful not to bruise the berries when harvesting.

the stem between the thumb and forefinger, pinching itfourth inch from the fruit. Pickers should not collect aplacing in the berry boxes.

The picker should grasp

off with the nails one­handful at a time before

Strawberries are picked usually when th~y have attained two-thirds red color.

Berries less than two-thirds inch in diameter should not be harvested for ship­ment. At the height of the ripening season, the patch should be gone over at leastevery other day. As soon as each carrier is filled, take it to the shed and pro­

tect it from the sun. The crop is usually marketed in 24-quart ventilated straw­berry crates. Average yield of strawberries in Texas is about 1400 quarts per acre.

Care of Plants After Harvest

Most Texas home gardeners will profit by plowing up strawberries at the end

of harvest. In East and Southeast Texas there is adequate moisture throughout thesummer to carry the plants over from one season to the next. In the High PlainsArea, the summers are cool enough so that plants wil.l not burn. In all other areas

it is cheaper to buy 500 to 1000 plants and set them out each fall, rather thanworry with irrigation and care throughout the hot summer.

The commercial producer in Southeast Texas should hoe out the patch when thelast berries are harvested, plow around each row and apply 200-300 pounds of 5-10-5

fertilizer per acre. Thi~ will prepare for additional plant production during thelate spring season. In October or early November, the whole row of strawberry

plants should be barred off with a turning plow. Six hundred to 1000 pounds ofcommercial fertilizer per acre is applied in the furrow and the soil thrown back

in place. It is advisable to thin the remBining plants to a spacing of 8 to 12inches.

To increase a planting of berries in October or early November, daughterplants may be taken from the old rows when fertilizer is applied. About 3000plants will increase to 16000 plants in one season. This is enough plants for

setting one acre.

The Strawberry Barrel

Under Texas' conditions, the planting of strawberries in out of door locationsis more desirable than improvi sed areas such as barrels and closed beds. The grow­

ing of strawberries in barrels does not result in high yields nor do plants grownormally. It has been noted that more satisfactory yields may be obta'ined from a

small area of a few square feet in a flower bed or near the house where the straw­

berries can be planted in open ground.

Iss ue d byThe Extens ion Service

Agricultural and Mechanical C.o11ege of Texas andThe United States Department of Agriculture

Ide P. Trotter, Director, College Station, Texas

Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Agricultural andMechanical College of Tpxas and l'nitt'd States Department of Agriculture Cooperating.

Distributed in furtherance of tht' Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30,1914.